Heating sleeve for a hair curler

ABSTRACT

A heating sleeve for a hair curler which is generally an elongate cylindrical body split along a generatrix and having extensions in the zone opposite the split for use by an operator to open and close the split in use of the sleeve, vanes being provided on the exterior of the body to protect the operator and/or the scalp.

I United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,923,069

Leclabart 1 Dec. 2, 1975 [54] HEATING SLEEVE FOR A HAIR CURLER 2.429.176 10/1947 Watson U 132/40 3,358,698 12/1967 Blanchard... 132/40 Inventor: Jacques Leclabar" France 3,713,455 1/1973 Chon et a1. 132/40 1 Assigneel Perm, Paris- France FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Apr. 8, 1974 680.623 2/1964 Canada 132/36 CC [2]] App! 459l68 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeil! Attorney, Agent, or FirmCameron, Kerkam, Sutton, [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Stowell & Stowell Feb. 8, 1974 France 74.04333 [57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 132/36 CC; 132/40 A heating sleeve for a hair curler which is generally an [51 1 Int. Cl. A45D 2/36 elongate cylindrical body split along a generatrix and [58] Field of Search 132/36 CC, 40, 42, 9 having extensions in the zone opposite the split for use 7 by an operator to open and close the split in use of the [56] References Cited sleeve, vanes being provided on the exterior of the UNlTED STATES PATENTS body to protect the operator and/or the scalp.

1,652,356 12/1927 Hammerly 132/36 C 3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 HEATING "SLEEVE FOR A HAIR CURL-ER- The invention relates to the heating of hair-curlers, in particular for permanent waves.

It is known that to wave hair permanently it is impregnated with a waving solution before beingrolled on hair-curlers and then the action of the waving solution is accelerated by heating the hair thus rolled.

The hair-curlers are most often heated by means of sleeves in the form of pincers which are pre-heated and then applied to the rolled hair.

The heating rollers often consist of a cylindrical body split along a generatrix and provided with two extensions spaced on either side of the portion diametrically opposed to the split and forming a hinge, the said extensions forming organs for opening the pincer formed by the split sleeve.

The sleeves may be heated by placing them in contact with heating bars. Thus the hair-dresser has available a series of sleeves which are being heated and must take them one by one for application to the haircurlers. For various reasons, in particular economy, the sleeves are made of a suitably shaped rubber or plastics mass. The sleeves used until the present time in particular have wing-shaped extensions whose ends have concave faces to make it easier for the operator to take hold of them. The fingers of the operator are thus in contact with a relatively large area of the sleeve. Now the sleeve may attain a temperature of the order of 100 on the heater bars. The heat thus developed over the internal face of the sleeve spreads relatively well in the rubber mass and it will be appreciated that it is necessary to protect the operators fingers. The operator is therefore obliged to wear gloves or to grip the sleeve with insulating pincers.

To render the use of the sleeve more practical, it has already been proposed to remedy the handling problem by insulating the outer surface of the sleeve with which the operator's fingers are in contact by means of a flock of vegetable or synthetic fibres.

The effectiveness of this flock is satisfactory, but it has the disadvantage of being fairly expensive. Moreover, the flocked layer finally wears under the action of the hands and is destroyed in the long run, in particular because of repeated washings.

The invention has as its object improvements to heating sleeves enabling these disadvantages to be remedied by means of simple and effective arrangements.

In accordance with the invention, the cylindrical body is provided on its exterior wall with a plurality of longitudinal vanes arranged in planes extending radially about the axis of the cylindrical body.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the extensions forming opening organs of the pincer have in cross section the form of horns forming an acute angle at their bases with the axial plane of symmetry of the sleeve and then curving towards the split until, at their points, they form an obtuse angle with the said plane.

The invention will now be described with reference to a particular embodiment, given by way of example and illustrated in perspective in the single FIGURE of the accompanying drawing.

The sleeve, formed of a mass of relatively flexible material such as rubber, comprises a cylindrical body 1 split along a generatrix 2. The portion diametrically opposed to the split is reduced in thickness to facilitate 2 separation ofthe two sides of the cylindrical body by means of two extensions 4 which diverge on either side of the axial plane passing through the split 2 and form organs for gripping the sleeve, bringing together of which determines the opening of the pincer formed by the split cylindrical body.

Contrarily to prior embodiments in which the ends of the gripping organs 4 were provided with concave faces to make it easier to take hold of the sleeve, in the sleeve in accordance with the invention the ends of the extensions 4 are tapered into points and curved towards the split until they form an obtuse angle A with the plane of symmetry of the sleeve, so that the points are substantially perpendicular to the said plane when the sleeve is open. As a result, by the point effect, the quantity of heat transmitted to the fingers of the operator will be minimized. However, given the pointed form of the gripping organs, the operator also has to touch the exterior wall of the cylindrical body. For this reason, the sleeve is provided along its exterior wall with a plurality of vanes 10 directed in planes extending radially about the axis x-x of the sleeve. The majority of the vanes 10 is substantially normal to the wall of the cylindrical body and is therefore positioned in planes passing through the axis x-x'.

On the other hand, the vanes 11 closest to the extensions 4 are inclined towards the points of the said extensions. As a result, the operators fingers are prevented from contacting the concave portions of the extensions.

In fact, to reduce the quantity of heat transmitted to the points of the extensions, the length of the latter is increased by giving them the shape of curved horns, the bases of which form an acute angle with the plane of symmetry of the sleeve and then turn, as observed, to form an obtuse angle with the same plane.

Moreover, contrarily to prior sleeves, whose bases were relatively wide, the extensions are slightly narrower in cross section at the base than in the central portion. The quantity of heat transmitted in the body of the extensions is thus reduced, and the bulge obtained enables the lateral surface area of the sleeve to be in creased and the heat transmitted to be thus reduced.

Due to the improvements described above, the operators fingers are only in contact with the pointed portions which are at a tolerable temperature. However, the sleeve is protected over practically its whole surface and the operator can take hold of it without special precautions, which represents a saving of his time.

Furthermore, the manufacture of the sleeve is particularly economical, for it can be carried out in one operation, e.g. by moulding or extrusion, due to the elimination of the flocking which was previously necessary. Lastly, maintenance of the sleeve presents no problem.

It will also be noted that the vanes positioned on the lateral wall of the sleeve prevent burning of the scalp if the sleeve is wrongly positioned.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the details of the embodiment described above, but also embraces all the modifications and in particular those relating to modifications in the shape of the sleeve, the opening organs or the vanes.

I claim:

1. A heating sleeve for hair curlers, comprising an elongate cylindrical body forming a pincer, a split along a generatrix of said body, two extensions on said body spaced on either side of the portion of said body diametrically opposed to the split and forming a hinge,

2. A heating sleeve in accordance with claim 1, wherein the two vanes closest to the extensions are inclined towards the points of the said extensions, the other vanes being substantially normal to the wall of the cylindrical body.

3. A heating sleeve in accordance with claim 1, wherein the extensions are, in cross section, slightly narrower at the base than in the central portion. 

1. A heating sleeve for hair curlers, comprising an elongate cylindrical body forming a pincer, a split along a generatrix of said body, two extensions on said body spaced on either side of the portion of said body diametrically opposed to the split and forming a hinge, said extensions forming organs for opening the pincer, a plurality of longitudinal vanes on said body in planes extending radially about the axis of the cylindrical body, said extensions having, in cross section, the form of horns forming an acute angle at their bases with the axial plane of symmetry of said body and curving towards the split and forming an obtuse angle with said plane at their points.
 2. A heating sleeve in accordance with claim 1, wherein the two vanes closest to the extensions are inclined towards the points of the said extensions, the other vanes being substantially normal to the wall of the cylindrical body.
 3. A heating sleeve in accordance with claim 1, wherein the extensions are, in cross section, slightly narrower at the base than in the central portion. 